Conversions, Tries, and Colours

I've said it before -- I'm not sporty. I am not the ideal person to live-tweet State of Origin, Game 3. But Jody thinks I'm funny, and most of my Canuck friends are not on Twitter, so... here are my random thoughts. To get you up to speed (at least, as much as I am):

• There are 3 kinds of rugby/football in Australia. I've been here nearly four years and still can't really tell what the difference is:
• NRL: National Rugby League; AFL: Australian Football League; Aussie Rules, aka "footy."
  Confusingly, "the footy" can be used to describe any? So yes, I'm still confused.
• State of Origin happens once a year and is a battle between New South Wales and Queensland. QLD has won for the past 6 years. The internet tells me Origin is rugby league.

Queensland player Petero Civenoceva takes the ball up during State of Origin 3 (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

I'm so glad they colour-code the teams.

Really? People actually say, "Go the Maroons?" and for NSW, "Go the Blues?"

The other chant is "QUEEEEENSLAAAAANDERRRRR!" I prefer this.

There's a NSW player named Tony whose nickname is T-Rex. He has excessively bright boots -  fluorescent. I approve.

Dang, these men are in good shape.

Dogpile!

That guy just picked up the other guy by the crotch. Is that legal?

A guy had 20 stitches put in his head, but don't worry -- he put on headgear and got back out there.

52,437 spectators - 60 people short of a full stadium.

One of my friends has noted that a NSW player has a rose tattoo on his bum.

I guess that's why the posts are padded? Ouch.

Oh! One of them is losing his shorts...

And that's it! A one-point field goal has won Queensland the match, 21-20. Go the Maroons! ahem.


[Abridged conversation between sports reporter, Lockyer - aka Locky - and a QLD player]

Reporter: "Mate, how was that?"

Player: "Unbelievable, mate, unbelievable."

Reporter: "How is this crowd?"

Player: "Unbelievable, mate, unbelievable."

Reporter: "Well done, mate."

Player:  "Thanks, mate."


Afterward, Jody picks up his untouched wine glass.
Jody: I think we're supposed to drink beer, not wine.
Me: At least I'm drinking mine. And anyway, it's maroon wine!

Vintage Video

It was a rainy night, and I felt like popcorn and a movie. I picked out a bunch on the 5 DVDs for $8 deal at our local rental place, from Tangled to Supernatural, but it was an Indiana Jones kind of night.

After we finished watching Temple of Doom (I'd forgotten how much screaming there was), Jody turned to me and said, "You must have had these in Canada."

"Yes, but they were on video." For some reason this got a huge laugh out of Jody. "What?" I demanded. "They're old movies!"

"You're old." A pause. "I never had any tapes."

Me: "That's ridiculous. Why not?"

Jody: "I never really had TV."

Me: "You're old!"

Popcorn

Photo: The Popcorn Board

I'm not being clever - this is a blog post about popcorn. To be more precise, popcorn is the answer to my question for readers today: what is your favourite snack while watching TV?

I won't be writing much tonight as I am still recovering from staying up so late to edit and format a paper, so I have what I call "assignment brain." I've had to look at my text carefully to make sure I'm not making typos all over the place, because I am tired. I think snacks are just my speed.




Tonight I finally got to watch the mid-season finale of Doctor Who - A Good Man Goes to War. I won't spoiler you but gosh it was a good episode and I need to watch it again.

Popcorn is my snack of choice when I want to treat myself while watching TV or a movie, and stove-popped wins every time. It reminds me of when I was a girl and would go to my friend Rachel's after school. Her house was literally next door to my middle school, and her mom made us popcorn in this massive old cast iron pot, and I was sure it was the best popcorn I would ever taste.

Leave your fave snack in the comments...

Waiting for...

Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries

Season 4 of True Blood

The last episode of Doctor Who before the series takes a 2-month hiatus

Book 4 of The Parasol Protectorate, Heartless, by Gail Carriger

HARRY POTTER 7 PART TWO

Jane Eyre



Even though the above point to a preference for vampire stories, under no circumstances will I be watching Breaking Dawn. Nope, not gonna happen. Also, I saw a trailer today on Youtube for a Rachel McAdams flick that comes out in February of 2012. What's up with that? Why make us wait so long?

I don't watch much TV because I can't stand all the ad breaks, but lately I have been enjoying Sunday nights - Downton Abbey at 8:30, followed directly by Castle. Maggie Smith is fantastic as Lady Grantham, and although the show has haters who say it's boring, I say they just don't appreciate period drama. I quite enjoyed the first two episodes - they're like a comedy of manners, but with blackmail.

With final assignments due over the course of the coming week, today you get a relatively mindless post from me - I thought Mindless Monday sounded like a perfect tag. Bonus post, though, if you're intrigued by the sound of the Parasol Protectorate - it's a clever and fun steampunk+supernatural series, and you can check out my (mostly spoiler-free) review here.

Cougarrrr

Really? This is Cougar Town's bumper-sticker slogan?

I haven't seen the show, and if this is any indication of what it's like, it's staying that way.

Chef-Inspired

I was on my own for dinner last week, as Jody had embarked on a "code sprint" with a worldwide network of volunteer techies. As I meandered through my cupboards, with no idea of what to make, MasterChef was on... I must admit that I've been following it. Not every single episode, but enough that I was very interested to know who'd make it through.

This particular episode featured a two-hour challenge in which the amateur chefs had to create a savoury and a sweet pie. I had high hopes for Julie Goodwin, the home cook, and unfortunately her nerves got the better of her and one of her pies was instead a puddle of ingredients on a plate. Poh Ling Yeow, on the other hand, came out of the gate with an original dessert (rhubarb with hazelnut-chocolate crust) that didn't even look like a pie, and a tiny blue-cheese-and-veg pie -- and she won! Chris made a fish pie that sounded tasty, and Tahitian lime pie with meringue. Mmmmm.....

All these pies reminded me that I had two new medium-sized Corningwares in the cupboard, and puff pastry sheets in the freezer. So I whipped up my oft-used curry paste & coconut milk in a saucepan, added some steamed asparagus and a spring onion, and browned some chicken. I put the lot into the pastry-filled Corningware and folded the pastry edges in. To add a little gloss, I brushed a beaten egg over the pastry.

While this was cooking I chopped two apples and finished off a bag of frozen mixed berries. I sauteed the fruit in butter, brown sugar & cinnamon, and poured it into the second dish. Again I folded the pastry around the filling, and brushed it with egg before popping it in the oven.
It might not have been MasterChef worthy, but it was very tasty!

Speaking of great chefs, I can't wait for this film with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep!

I apologize if the photos aren't great - I used the camera on my phone.

So You Think You Can Dance - Highlights

Reality TV shows are in no danger of disappearing, and Australia has no shortage of them. Thankfully they aren't all as cringe-inducing as Hell's Kitchen or as insipid as The Hills - reality? fiction? who cares?

Dance. Scores of Australians thought they could, and battled it out in couples, singles, groups and constantly changing pairs every week - sometimes with more than one routine to show off per episode. If a dancer found themselves at the bottom of the list, they had to perform what the judges called "Dance for your Life," which was always nerve-racking and sometimes surprising. Without a "Simon" type judge I liked this show a lot more than American Idol. The blonde host is singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte (Alive; Someday Soon). I'm a little behind in posting this, but I wanted to highlight a few of the best routines of the two-hour finale. The Final Fours' performances are embedded from YouTube, with the judges' thoughts and favourite clips of each dancer's progression throughout the show.

All I can say is, Go Talia! The 18 year old ballerina shone every week, proving she could do much more than plié when she put her mind to it. That girl worked it, and she came out the winner.

Her duet with Loredo, to Taylor Swift's "Love Story," had viewers clamouring for more - it was voted "favourite moment." Here she is with her final performance.




Another standout was the "suitcase routine" done by Top 3 contender Amy and her partner Damien. And I must mention how much I want her outfit...




The group routine inspired by the movie Kill Bill was awesome. So much is going on, but every dancer breathes purpose into their role, without taking away from the ensemble piece.




In the end, the Final 4 became the Final Two, and just behind Talia was Charlie. Charlie was always a character, and you could tell how much he loved dancing and entertaining the crowd. In this number, Single Ladies, he teams up with Penny from the Top 20 - and you can see how she's a frame for his incredibly charismatic performance.



And finally, Ben - who now thinks he'll go on to be a choreographer. Ben nearly sold himself short in the auditions, but fortunately the judges sensed there were things he could do that he hadn't shown them in his audition piece - and, just like that, he got a ticket to Top 100 week. I didn't really like his final performance, so here's his duet to Beyonce's "Diva" with Talia instead.



There was also a guest spot that left me breathless: New York dance company Pilobolus' (shortened) duo routine known as "Symbiosis." It showcases strength, grace, and awe-inspiring trust. Disclaimer: Pilobolus often performs in little or no clothing, so any content on their website - or YouTube for that matter - may be unsafe for work or a home office with curious small people nearby. This clip is work-safe.



Wow. That was a lot of good dancing. Hope you enjoyed it!